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Thursday, April 22, 2010

It feels like I’ve hit a wall with my garden. Things haven’t been growing as quickly, a couple are dying off, and I don’t know why! I think maybe I overwatered them at one point: the Styrofoam cups don’t have holes in the bottom to drain excess water, so it just pools. Lesson for next year! Plus, I used just a wee bit of Miracle Grow and I’m not sure you are supposed to this early on. But, what’s done is done, and we’ll just keep pushing forward! I guess all in all, even though things seem slow, the plants are doing really well. I did notice a few plants growing true leaves now, so that’s a step in the right direction! The first sprouts, which look like two leaves, are actually cotyledons. They supply nutrients to the plant until the true leaves form and photosynthesis begins. Bring on the true leaves! I keep meaning to grab a photo to share, but I forget! It’s a pretty sweet (and by sweet I mean GHETTO) set up in our garage. Two fluorescent lights duct-taped to the top of a shelving unit; 80-ish plants in cups (don’t worry, everything is legal – no mysterious plants growing at our house!); dirt EVERYWHERE because I still haven’t cleaned up from when I re-potted them all; and the best part: an old yellow towel draped over the side of the shelves to keep heat in and little boys OUT. Couldn’t you just see Brady knocking over all those cups, or picking the leaves off?

Menards is having a big sale on decorative brick, so I think Joel is going to buy some this weekend to build our garden soon. We decided with the above-ground method due to the walnut tree at the edge of our yard and the woods. If anyone has any topsoil they don’t want, give me a shout! I will even share some veggies with you come harvest time, if anything makes it that far :)

I’m going this weekend to get some hostas from my grandma. She usually gives me some parsley and peppermint to grow, too. I have very little faith that the hostas will outlast the packs…nay, DROVES, of deer that surround our house, but so far so good with my tulips! Plus, hostas are nice filler for around the foundation of the house, are expensive to buy, and multiply really quickly!